(NB Headings are not part of original, but are added for clarity)

The World Tomorrow

The Faith for Salvation

by Herbert W Armstrong

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Well greetings friends. This is Herbert W Armstrong with the Good News of the World Tomorrow.

Listen my friends, do you know that there are millions of people in the United States that think they are saved, they think they are Christians, they think they have salvation and they have only been deceived? Now that's quite a shocking statement, I know.

If I would tell you there are people in the United States actually worshipping Jesus Christ and all in vain – you would think I'm crazy. Well, do you think Jesus Christ Himself was crazy? Jesus Christ said very plainly in the seventh chapter of Mark, Mark the seventh chapter and I've read this to you many times before but I don't know, it seems that many of us are sort of dull of hearing and we just run along with the crowd. You know we've been born in this world, we didn't know a thing the day we were born. When you were born your mind had no knowledge.

Everything you know, everything you think and believe and your convictions, your ideas, have all come into your mind since then. Now how did you get them? Where did they come from? Mostly they came from other people, you believe what you've been taught, you believe what you've always heard, you believe what you've read. And you were born into a world that believes that if you make, as they say, a decision for Christ, if you, as they say, receive Christ. If you accept Christ, profess Christ before men; and of course according to some people, maybe you need to be baptized or certain other things. Maybe you need to come forward and shake the preacher's hand, maybe you need to come forward to the altar and weep a few tears. But most people say you are then saved, that's all there is to it.

Now you can go further and worship Christ even, and when you do that people would say; "Well there's no doubt about anyone doing that being saved." But, Jesus Christ says here in Mark the seventh chapter in your Bible. Does the Bible carry authority? Is the Bible the very Word of God or is isn't it? Now let's just see whether it is or not. And if it is - or do you just believe what people say and what you have always heard? Who are you going to believe Jesus Christ or the people? Listen, Jesus Christ answered and said:

"Howbeit in vain do they worship me [here were people actually worshipping Him and He says it's all in vain, they are not saved, they are not Christians; in vain do they worship me], teaching for doctrines the commandments of men...laying aside the commandment of God..." (Mark 7:7-8)

Oh well surely no one would do that today would they? Do you find anyone laying aside the commandments of God today? You know, I met a man one time, he was a preacher, I met him on the street and he'd heard me on the radio and he stopped me right on the street, that was up in Eugene, Oregon, it wasn't here. But nevertheless, he stopped me right on the street and he tried to take me to task for believing in the Ten Commandments. "Why," he said; "we've laid those aside, the Ten Commandments don't apply anymore today." I looked at him and I said; "Do you think you know the Lord?" "Oh yes." he said; "praise His name, yes I know Him." I said; "Are you sure you know Him?" "Yes, I'm sure." I said; "You don't believe in keeping the commandments?" "Oh no, no, I don't keep the commandments," he said. "Well, if you turn to I John 2 verse 4, you read this," I told him, I said; "I want to quote I John 2:4 to you, because" I said; "I'm not going to say this – but God calls you a liar Mister." God says:

"He that saith, I know him [this man just said he knew Him], and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word..." (I John 2:4-5)

Now there His word, the words of the Bible are used synomously and interchangeably with the commandments; because, my friends, the whole Bible is merely an elaboration, a magnification, of the principles of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are ten broad principles:

"...whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he [Christ] walked." (I John 2:5-6)

And Christ said; "...I have kept my Father's commandments..." (John 15:10). And Christ in us is the hope of glory and Christ is; "...the same today as He was yesterday, as He will be tomorrow, He has never changed." (Hebrews 13:10 paraphrased). He kept His Father's commandments. If Jesus Christ is living in you – and if He isn't you are not a Christian, if He isn't you have no salvation whatsoever; and you haven't even begun to get it yet. And if He is living His life in you, or living your life for you, do you think He's going to live differently today than He did then? He kept His Father's commandments. My friends, it's from beginning to end in your Bible; it's the same in the New Testament, it's the same in the Old Testament and the apostle Paul said to Timothy:

"That from a child thou [Timothy] hast known the holy scriptures, [that] are able to make thee wise unto salvation..." (II Timothy 3:15)

The only scriptures he had known from a child were the Old Testament scriptures.

Understanding and Proving All Things (PLAY FROM 05:31)

Now, the Holy Spirit sent Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch. He was reading in the book of Isaiah, he said; "Who is he talking about? Himself, or some other man, or who or what?" He didn't understand. "Why," Philip said; "don't you understand what you're reading?" He was reading in that the Old Testament, and the eunuch said; "Well how can I if some man doesn't guide me?" (Acts 8:26-31 paraphrased) Yes, you know, the Bible says:

"...how shall they [know] without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14)

And so God has sent ministers. But listen, so has the devil sent ministers, my friends, and there are, according to your Bible prophecies there are many false prophets gone out into the world. But we take things for granted, we assume that, well of course, all of the false preachers and the false prophets that have gone out into the world, we think of as; oh, long haired fanatics that perhaps are standing on a - oh, you know, unshaven and unkempt, and run over at the heel, and illiterate, and uneducated, that are standing on a soap box down in skid row somewhere preaching some kind of a silly message to some derelicts that come along that are half drunk.

And we think that, that's what the false prophets are; but of course 'we' don't need to think anything about it, 'we' are all right so 'we' like to take for granted. My friends, your Bible says; "Prove all things... " (I Thessalonians 5:21). Are you afraid to prove whether you're as safe as you think you are? Listen, why don't you write in for our booklet; 'What Kind of Faith Is Required for Salvation?' Now:

"...by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2:8)

But, what kind of faith is it? You know what the apostle Paul said to the jailer at Philipi? He said:

"...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." (Acts 16:31)

Now let me tell you something. The mistake that a lot of people make is they don't know what kind of faith, and what kind of believing, he was talking about. Do you know there are two kinds of faith and that about 999 out of every 1,000 people, and I think it's perhaps a much higher percentage than that even, believe in a kind of faith that will only bring you damnation? Do you know that there is more than one kind of faith? You had better read this booklet because a lot of people think they're alright when they're not.

No subject pertaining to Christian salvation is more generally misunderstood than that of saving faith. What is it anyway? "Just believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Now that's the popular teaching today, that's what most people believe. No unfortunately millions of people are being deceived, led to trust in a faith that will never save one single soul, and by a very popular and false teaching that is being believed by millions of people today.

It's customary to quote only a part of a certain passage of scripture, just reading a part. You know, that the Bible has been divided up into verses and many, many cases the verse ends in the middle of a sentence, right in the middle of a sentence, the verse ends. And you read just one verse you've only got part of a thought or part of a sentence, that's all if you don't read the rest, you don't get the whole meaning at all. For instance, so many people will read this back here in Ephesians the second chapter and the eighth verse, about just believing and about the fact that we're saved by grace through faith. Let me just read that to you, it'll take just a second here in Ephesians in the second chapter and you've heard this so many times:

" ...by grace are ye saved through faith [oh, that's true]; and that not of yourselves: it [what is this 'it' it's talking about? Why the faith that saves you; by grace are ye saved through faith]; and that [that faith] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2:8)

Do you think, my friends, that your faith will save you? I've said this many times on this program. Now if I say that you should obey God and that; "...sin is the transgression of [God's] law." (I John 3:4), which your Bible says and I'm just quoting the Bible. I just believe God that's all, instead of men. Would you condemn me for that? I just believe God, I believe the Bible because, my friends, I haven't foolishly assumed it was true. Do you know most people either take it for granted that the Bible is not the Word of God, or they take for granted that it is? But very few ever stop to prove it.

Now most men of science in our institutions of higher learning, whether they are professors or whether they are students, I think most of them just assume that the Bible is not the Word of God. In fact, I think there's a great deal of doubt as to whether God exists in so-called scientific circles today, among a great many of them certainly. But, have they ever looked at it scientifically? They prove other things scientifically, our scientists, at least they call themselves scientists. And, my friends, they go to great length to prove; how you ought to feed perhaps a rat, or how you should feed some kind of little animal and many little things that don't mean very much.

Whether we are happy or not, whether we're prosperous of not, whether we get any salvation or not, or whether we are immortal, or whether there is any life after death, or why we're put here on this earth, and what it's all about, and what life really means and whether there is any purpose to it; and what are the real laws and rules of making it successful. Oh, those things they can skip over and get down to some little picayune small thing and spend a life time trying to find out about it; very scientifically, thousands of laboratory tests. But have they ever made that kind of testing, have they ever tried to put it to the proof whether or not the Bible is the inspired Word of the Living God, that is a Creator that rules the whole Universe, that controls all forces, and all energies and in His High Heaven upholds and sustains the very Universe and rules it?

Have they ever tried scientifically to prove whether there is, or even whether there is not, such a God by scientific principles? I don't think very many of them have, they're too busy, they're too busy on little non consequential things. Or too busy on inventing and producing terrific and terrifying forces of destruction until we've come to the place now that scientists tell us it is possible to annihilate human life from off the face of this planet. Isn't that a wonderful occupation. I want to tell you; some men, the men of inherent ability, men of wonderful and fine minds are devoting their minds to that sort of thing and their whole lives.

Now, what about this thing, have you proved it? Have you proved, has the scientist proved that the Bible is not the Word of such a God. Has a scientist ever proved that there is no Creator, that there is no Intelligent Being who is sustaining the Universe and who guides and controls and who rules, and who makes and unmakes nations; who has set the bounds of nations and how far each nation can go? Has there any scientist ever proved that God Almighty did not say to Russians; "You must stay in the interior of Europe and Asia? And that you cannot be out on the sea coast like the British are, and like the French are, and the Italians, and other nations or the Chinese."

Do you know that there is a God Almighty that has kept them right where they are? That's one reason that they are bottled up just enough that they haven't attacked us yet have they? Now, there's nothing in prophecy that says that they are, but most of you think they are going to.

Law or Grace? (PLAY FROM 13:28)

Now, here we are:

"...by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2:8)

Some people think that I believe in working your way through and earning your own salvation because I say we must obey God, because the Bible says; "...sin is the transgression of the law." (I John 3:4). And that Law is spiritual and the Ten Commandments are those spiritual points as Paul says here in the very seventh chapter of Romans:

"...the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good [that is verse 12 and in verse 14 of Romans 7]. For we know that the law is spiritual: but [Paul says] I am carnal, and sold under sin." (Romans 7:12,14)

Now most Christians think Paul, the apostle, was a pretty good man, but he said he was carnal. He had received the Spirit of God though, in addition to his carnality, and that changes carnality a very great deal. But this same Paul said:

"...Is the law sin? God forbid... " (Romans 7:7)

You know, we think that the law is sin today, so many of us, don't we? No; "...sin is the transgression of the law." (I John 3:4). The Law is righteous, and the keeping of all of the Commandments of God, that is righteousness. The Commandments of God are the way of righteousness; and the way of evil and the way of sin is to transgress them. It is disobedience to the God who is the Supreme Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. Now he said:

"...Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law [why? Because "...sin is the transgression of the law." (I John 3:4) and the law points out sin]...I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." (Romans 7:7)

Now what law said that? The Ten Commandments – that is the tenth of the Ten Commandments. So that is the Law that is spiritual. Paul says here in verse 14: "...the law is spiritual..." (Romans 7:14)

That's the law that is; "... holy, and just, and good." (Romans 7:12) as he says in verse twelve: "...the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." (Romans 7:12)

You know there are a lot of laws. You think - of course men can make hundreds and thousands of laws but people think God was only capable of making one law. And so you want to say that the rituals of Moses and the meat and drink offerings and the animal sacrifices for sin under the Levitical Priesthood way back there in the days of Moses - you want to say; "Well that is all the same law and because that's done away so are the spiritual principles of the Ten Commandments." Listen, the killing of animals for sacrifice, the meat and drink offerings, the carnal ordinances, that is physical, material, the rituals that God gave the Old Testament under the Levitical Priesthood in the Old Testament Church, which was called the children of Israel, those things are all physical, those things are all carnal, those things are material.

They are not spiritual, but the Ten Commandments are spiritual principles, and the whole Bible is based on them and it's the whole duty of man, and it's a way of life. But the carnal mind is hostile toward God, it's enmity towards God you read in Romans 8. And it seems to think that God is all wrong and; "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man..." (Proverbs 14:12). And we seem to want to go that way and we believe in that way.

Now; "...by grace are you saved..." (Ephesians 2:8). Well, wait a minute, I was saying here a moment ago; people think that I believe in earning salvation. Let me tell you something; all the obedience in the world is not going to save you, your works will not save you. I believe that just as much as the people believe it that hate the Law of God. That is absolutely true, your works will not save you, your obedience will not save you, your commandment keeping is not the thing that will save you. And let me tell you something more; they believe your faith will save you and I don't, I don't believe anything about it. I know and I'm telling you on the authority of Jesus Christ, on the authority of the very Word of God, on the authority of God Almighty; and I have that authority and I speak by that authority. Your faith will never save you! You don't have enough faith to save you:

"...by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it [the faith that saves you] is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2:8)

I've read to you before here in Galatians the explanation of that. Why listen, if your faith could save you, then you supply what saves you; you are saving yourself. That is just as bad as your own works, or your own obedience, your own commandment keeping saving you. The only difference is that some people don't want to obey God; and so they say that your works, or your obedience, your commandment keeping can't save you. And they impute a lie to what I preach, and what Christ preached, and what the apostles all preached in saying that the very first condition to salvation is that you repent of your disobedience to God. And that you begin to be willing to keep His commandments and He'll give you the love that will keep them:

"...the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit..." (Romans 5:5)

That is the love that fulfills the Law. But then they turn around and say; "But your faith will save you." Well, either one - that is your own works isn't it? Your faith is your own works and you are supplying it. Now here in the second chapter of Galatians is the real answer. And coming to the sixteenth verse: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law..." (Galatians 2:16)

And he isn't, you don't get justified by the works of the law, but you still have to repent for having broken the Law and be willing to keep it; that is a prior condition. Listen; "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by..." (Galatians 2:16). His own faith in Christ? Oh no, your Bible doesn't say that. Will you notice what it says there in Galatians 2 verse 16; a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by what? What does justify him?

"...but by the faith of Jesus Christ..."

Do you know that, that little word 'of' denotes possession? The Bank of Morgan is Mr Morgan's Bank, the faith of Christ is Christ's faith, not your faith. Knowing that he is justified by the faith OF Jesus Christ, or by the faith that Christ had. The faith that He does have now as your High Priest - way up there in heaven. That is the only faith that can save you, that's the only faith that can justify you, it is the faith that Jesus has. It is the faith that He had when He walked on the water, when He stilled the storm, when He turned the water into wine, when He healed the sick and raised the dead. He had faith, you know He had faith if you believe in Him at all.

He still has faith because He is; "...the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8). And He will give you His faith and His faith in you will save you, and He won't give you that faith until you are willing to obey. That faith is the very faith that makes it possible for you to obey because without that faith you can't obey God.

Belief (PLAY FROM 20:19)

Listen:

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith OF Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ [oh that is your faith, now that you have to have, that is the starting point; that isn't going to save you, but you have to supply that first, before Christ will give you His faith that will save you; even we have believed in Christ], that we might be justified by the faith of Christ..." (Galatians 2:16)

Now very plainly that says that you believe in Christ so that He will give you His faith and it's His faith that will save you. Now everywhere in the Bible Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom saying; "...repent ye, and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15). Now there He said; "...believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15). Other places you have to believe on Christ – you have to believe both. Peter on the Day of Pentecost, when they said:

"...Men and brethren, what shall we do? [Why they were just struck with fear after Peter's sermon and they wanted to know the way of salvation; what shall we do? And] Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall [he didn't say be saved, he said] receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". (Acts 2:37-38)

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you [as Paul wrote in Romans 8 verse 11], he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [that's make immortal] your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." (Romans 8:11)

So it leads to salvation then doesn't it? Now then; the way is to repent – that's to repent of your transgressions, that means you're willing to begin to obey. Then you must believe in Christ, you must accept Him in full faith believing. That isn't going to save you though, but you can't get saved without it, it is a condition. God gives you what saves you; you are saved by grace not by your own works. Not by your own efforts, not by working up your own faith, not by your own surrender, not by your own goodness. Your righteousnesses are a lot of filthy rags to God. Now, let's get this straight:

"...by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God [but you see, we believe in Him that we might receive the faith OF God, the faith OF Christ, the faith that is IN Christ, you know that the Spirit of God gives you the gift of faith; now it is]: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Not of works, not of your effort and works always means physical work. No, it's spiritual righteousness. But, why do we stop there? Why don't we read the rest of it? Read the next verse; "For we are his workmanship..." ((Ephesians 2:10). Notice it; we are the clay, He is the Potter, but you have to yield and quit resisting. God says; "I set before you life and death choose." (Deuteronomy 30:19 paraphrased). And if you choose death He's not going to go to work on you and produce life in you.

Jesus Christ will not come in you to live your life for you or to live His life in you unless you hunger and thirst for His righteousness, unless you want Him to come in. Unless you yield, unless you surrender to Him, to let Him come in and to live your life; if you stiffen and resist He'll let you stiffen and resist, then He is not going to save you. Listen; we are His workmanship, we are just the instrument, He's the One that is doing the work.

"...we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10 )

We're to walk in good works, my friends, and were created in Christ Jesus unto good works that God before has ordained we should walk in them. So what do you do? You repent of your bad works, you repent. You have got works one way or the other – it's just a case of are they good or evil, are they bad works? That's what you've all had; you are going to repent of that and get some good works. But your good works won't save you; but your desire for good works, your desire for obedience, your belief in God to the extent that you believe that God is righteous, that you believe God's Commandments are the right way and the way that has seemed right to you and to humanity is the wrong way. That is what you have got to believe.

And then your faith in Christ, your surrender and willingness to obey; then He gives you His Holy Spirit. Repent and be baptized. No you know the eunuch said to Philip, I was talking about him a minute ago; the eunuch said to Philip:

"...here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest..." (Acts 8:36-37)

Now you are not really baptized, you are only just dunked in water if you don't really believe with all your heart, and if you haven't repented. If you have really repented, if you have made a complete surrender to God; if you have repented not of your ways, not of what you think is wrong, but if you have repented of what God says is wrong. If you have realized that you have even violated the way of God when you thought you were doing alright in things that didn't even hurt your conscience. But now you repent of it and you are willing to study the Bible to find out what God says. And then you are going to do it, and you are going to change your ways as God shows you; you're willing to live by every word of God. That's repentance.

And when you have repented, and when you have your faith in Christ then He says; "...ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38). And the Holy Spirit coming into you my friends is the gift of faith. Did you ever read the chapter on the gifts of the Spirit and what the Holy Spirit coming into you means? That is in the twelfth chapter of I Corinthians:

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit...differences of administrations, but the same Lord. [And beginning here with verse 7 that's I Corinthians 12] ...the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal...to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit [do you see that faith is a gift that comes by the Holy Spirit? That my friends is the faith of Christ]; to another the gifts of healing...To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy [and so on]; ...another [the] discerning of spirits..." (I Corinthians 12:4-5,8-10)

Very few people can do that – it takes the Spirit of God, the mind of God. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of a sound mind. And, my friends, love is the fulfilling of God's Law. God's Law, the Ten Commandments is simply love; but it is; "...the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit..." (Romans 5:5). When you receive the Holy Spirit it's the love of God that fulfills His law and that, my friends, is the righteousness of God. That's not the righteousness of Sam Smith, John Jones or Herbert W Armstrong – that is the righteousness of God. That's the same righteousness that Jesus had. He said; "...I can do nothing of myself, the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works." (John 5:19 paraphrased).

Does the Father dwell in you? Does Christ dwell in you? If He does you have the very love of God - that's the righteousness of God that will save you and the Spirit of God is the very faith of Christ; that's the faith that will save you. By grace are you saved through faith. Not very many people know what kind of faith that will save you.

Now listen, there's a great deal more about it in this booklet; 'What Kind of Faith Is Required for Salvation?' What is faith anyhow? And why don't you have the faith to get an answer to your prayers? You know, prayer is a mighty practical thing. I get answers when I pray, my friends, God answers, God hears. We are getting answers all the time. God will answer your prayers if you know how to believe, if you know what faith is. Write in for this booklet, put it to the test.

Now there is another booklet along this line; 'Why Were You Born?' Why were you born? You know, are you someone who really matters to anyone? Are you someone who really matters, for instance, to God? I should think everyone would want to be. Well is there any purpose for human life? Does life after all have real meaning that you may never have realized? Do you know there was a reason why humanity was put on this earth? 'Why Were You Born?'

So until next time, good by friends.